1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to recording a video signal in connection with personal activities such as sports activities including skiing, kayaking, sailing and so on, as well as non-sport activities like archeological field research, crime investigation, and the like. The invention includes adaptations for structuring a rental market for servicing activityparticipants who wish a record of a given activity but do not own a unit in accordance with the invention.
A miniature video camera mounted, for example, on a skier's helmet, is coupled to a backpack-carried transmitter that communicates with a base station having video recording facilities. The base station includes monitoring features and can operate a time and billing database. Optionally the base station includes capabilities to determine whether units that are not officially rented are in use, determine unit and users locations by GPS signaling, and monitor for a "Lojack" type signal indicative if a unit has been removed without authorization. The portable units optionally are waterproofed and/or include humidity and temperature controls where appropriate in accordance with the use environment.
2. Prior Art
To date, micro video recorder sets are known to service--among other markets--the marketplace of law enforcement and public safety for purposes of incident surveillance, evidence recording, in-vehicle video for moving or stationary vehicles including police cruisers and/or helicopters. These have been termed "video incident" recorder sets by the industry. Video incident recorders are available with much variety among various products. Of interest here, however, are the micro products utilizing digital signal processing (DSP) technology and the camera format of charge-coupled devices (CCD). An example DSP CCD micro camera includes one that is available from Panasonic, model no. GP-US502. It is advertised along with other competitive devices, from Sony and others, in the "1997 Optics and Optical Instrument Catalog" of Edmund Scientific Company (of Barrington, N.J.).
The above Panasonic DSP CCD micro camera (i.e., model no. GP-US502) has a micro head or lens module and a remote base control module. The head module contains the CCD lens, and measures about 1.31 inches.times.1.75 inches.times.2 inches (3.33 cm.times.4.45 cm 5.08 cm). Given these measurements, this head module is compact. It displaces about 4.6 cubic inches in volume (75 cc). For comparison, two such modules could insert into a six ounce coffee cup with room to spare. The data signal produced by the head module is carried by cable to the base control module. It too is relatively compact, measuring 5.1 inches.times.1.75 inches.times.9.50 inches (13.0 cm.times.4.45 cm.times.24.1 cm), or about comparable in size to a paperback novel. There are even more compact micro cameras on the market, including the CCD micro camera heads of Elmo Manufacturing Corporation (of New Hyde Park, N.Y.), series no. MN421E.
Also interesting are the highly-compact DC-operated video cassette or tape recorders (VCR's or VTR's, respectively, or else, generically, VR's) available from Panasonic under model nos. AG-750 and AG-720 (e.g., video cassette format), or from Sony under model no. EVO-220 (interchangeable between an 8 mm tape and a HI8.TM. format). These combine compactness with portability due to the facility to power by battery.
A complete video incident recorder system would include an adaptor or controller like a Sony model no. PGV-220 "incident recording adaptor," for mating to the previously-mentioned Sony EVO-220 video recorder. The controller controls the recorder's functions. For example, there is alarm recording:--e.g., a retailer concerned with inventory shrinkage can connect an alarm contact to the controller which responds by recording the alarm condition for durations or 10, 20 or 30 seconds, or 1, 2, 3, 5, or 10 minutes or until the end of the tape. The controller also facilitates quasi time elapse video record-and-sample activity by recording at intervals of 15, 30 and 60 minutes for durations of 10, 20, or 30 seconds, or 1, 2, 3, 5, or 10 minutes. Alternatively, it can also be used for continuous recording of a daily routine, say for example, from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Monday through Friday. And the foregoing functions can be mixed and matched as desired. Common accessories for the above outfits include miniature monitors and battery packs and so on. An example monitor is Sony's model no. AG-LC35P 3.2 inch (8 cm) color LCD monitor.
The foregoing video incident recorder packages have proven popular in the law enforcement and public safety marketplaces. They have not to date appeared to the extent that they might in the amusement or recreational and competition/training marketplaces because of several shortcomings. One shortcoming involves high cost. These systems cost beyond what most persons budget for such an amusement device. And, heat- and shock-resistance aside, another shortcoming involves their lack of weather-resistance for extremely cold or wet environments. What is needed is an improvement which overcomes these and other shortcomings of the prior art.